2009 Nascar Season Preview

A new year, but the aim is still the same – stop Jimmie Johnson. Nascar kicks off the new season with the Daytona 500 on Sunday evening. It starts off a gruelling 36 race schedule that criss-crosses America as they determine who will be the Sprint Cup Champion.


#00 – David Reutimann.
Reutimaan returns to his familiar #00 which he used during the 2007 and start of 2008 season. Towards the end of last year, the Michael Waltrip Racing driver steadily improved. I expect him to continue leading the line for his young organisation. Sponsorship could be an issue, according to some reports.

#1 – Martin Truex Jr.
Truex leads the new Earnhardt-Ganassi line-up, although his long term future at the team will remain in question with his contract up at the end of this year. After making the Chase in 07, there was little to shout about for Truex in 2008. If the new Earnhardt Ganassi team fails to spark, I would expect Truex to seek pastures new.

#2 – Kurt Busch
Like Truex, the elder Busch brother failed to make the Chase last year. With a year that starting with promise for the Penske team, it quickly evaporated into a tough slug for the team. Busch visited victory lane once, in a rain-shortened race. With his brother on the rise, Kurt needs to remind everyone that he was once a Nascar champion.

#5 – Mark Martin
The veteran returns for one final tour (again) with a full time rid in a Hendricks car. He is the popular choice for a run at the title. Personally, I would love to see him do it. I’ve been a Martin fan since I first started watching Nascar years ago. While it would be a fairytale, I don’t seem doing it. Expect him to be in the Chase though.

#6 – David Ragan
The man who won the ‘Most Improved Driver of the Year’ in the first annual Phillies here on The Chequered Flag, big things are expected of Ragan in 2009. A first one is a must, along with a Chase berth. The pressure is on the youngster. All the eyes are on him, even within his team. Roush has to cut one of their cars at the end of the year to comply with the four cars per team rule. Ragan and McMurray are the ones thought to be on the chopping board.

#7 – Robby Gordon
One of the few remaining full-time single car teams, I expect another year of struggle for Gordon. 2008 was a poor year and was not helped by issues with then technical partner GEM. A messy divorce was on the cards, leaving Gordon freelance. There is only so far one can go running solo. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gordon has finally reached the limit.

#07 – Casey Mears
Nascar’s journeyman finds himself yet again in a new car. There can be little excuse for Mears if he fails to light up in the #07. Clint Bowyer has taken this crew to the Chase two years in a row. After failing at Hendricks, he will be looking at Kyle Busch as an example of what can happen if you leave the best team.

#8 – Aric Almirola
The youngster who ran the part-time schedule with Mark Martin last year takes full control of it this year. A promising youngster is still likely to be thrown in at the deep end, with a team that is still trying to find its feet. A lot of confusion has been made over sponsorship for the #8 and whether it would have enough for the full year.

#9 – Kasey Kahne
It looked at once stage that Kahne could be a legitimate threat for the Chasse in the middle of the season. A spectacular nose dive saw him miss the cut and disappear off the radar. He leads the re-organised Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) from the ashes of GEM and Petty Enterprises. With the number of Chase-potential drivers in the field, he could find himself on the outside looking in yet again.

#11 – Denny Hamlin
The youthful Hamlin is now the veteran within the Joe Gibbs stable. He needs to reverse the slide his career appears to be on. Jumping onto the scene with a bang, it is been nothing but fizzle lately from him.

#12 – David Stremme
Stremme returns after a year out, replacing Ryan Newman. After giving way to Dario Franchitti in the #40 last year, Stremme subbed for the injured Scot last year. Looking at how he handled the car, you had to wonder why the switch was done in the first place. A year in the Nationwide series has kept his skills honed.

#14 – Tony Stewart
A venture into the unknown with ‘Smoke’, as he takes command of his own team. Up’s and down’s are expected, but if he can make the Chase, it will likely feel like a championship for him.

#16 – Greg Biffle
The Biff came from nowhere to make a run for the title late last year. Now he just needs to build on it. Too many times, a good year is followed by a bad year for Biffle. It was for that reason I had lumped him with Ragan and McMurray in regards to been the odd one out at Roush. If he can pull off what he did last year, his seat will be well cemented.

#17 – Matt Kenseth
The former champion endured a winless year, which was altogether too quiet, even by his standards. I do wonder if Kenseth has it in him for another championship. Honestly, I didn’t see anything that would convince me to the contrary last year.

#18 – Kyle Busch
After crashing and burning in the Chase, Wild Thing is out for blood. If lessons are learned for why the team dropped off so much late last year, there could be no stopping him.

#19 – Elliott Sadler
It will be interesting to see how this team works this year. The messy situation regarding his contract is likely to lead to some frictions within the team. Whether that brings out the best, or worse, only time will tell.

#20 – Joey Logano
‘Sliced Bread’ will be staring at the mountain he has to climb with his first full season. Expectation is at fever pitch for the youngster. He takes over from Tony Stewart, meaning he has the best team possibly built around him to help adjust. A victory isn’t out of the question, if he can live up the hype.

#21 – Bill Elliott
Awesome Bill will remain with Woods Brothers for select outings this year. Like a fine wine, he continues to put the car on the field without the need to fall back on a champions provisional.

#24 – Jeff Gordon
A winless year has seen alarm bells ringing within the media. Gordon may be down, but he certainly isn’t out. I expect him to break that duck this year. A driver of his talent just doesn’t go bad overnight.

#26 – Jamie McMurray
A strong end to the season has left Roush in a tight spot with trying to make five go into four. If McMurray can be as consistent as he was fast, he could be a fly in the ointment when it comes to finalising those Chase berths.

#28 – Travis Kvapil
Travis did an awesome job of keeping a car that ran a good chunk of the year without sponsorship. Again he finds himself in the same boat. Added pressure comes with his points being transferred, meaning he has to qualify on speed for the first five races.

#29 – Kevin Harvick
Another driver who endured a winless year, he started this year in the best possible way with winning the Bud Shootout. Like Kenseth and Gordon, he has a point to prove.

#31 – Jeff Burton
A new sponsor on the hood of the #31, but expect more of the same. Burton should solidly qualify for the Chase, but I feel that he doesn’t really have the killer instinct to actually win it.

#33 – Clint Bowyer
Bowyer moves to the new RCR team in an attempt to keep sponsors happy. Good news for Clint is that he doesn’t need to worry about qualifying on speed, after the team received points from the #22. Biggest question for Bowyer will be can he make the Chase with a new crew,,

#39 – Ryan Newman
The second of the new Stewart-Hass cars, Newman is a lock for the first five. With the quality of the Chase field, I don’t see him making it.

#42 – Juan Montoya
The talent is there, but is the machinery? I think Montoya has a lot to prove, but I don’t think he can do that with his current team. He may need to consider moving if he is realise his potential.

43 – Reed Sorenson
The youngster has big feet to fill in the famous 43. He hasn’t shown much in the way of race craft that screams we are going to see something difference. Perhaps the guidance of the great Richard Petty can steer him right.

44 – AJ Allmendinger
After the fiasco over which car he would drive, Allmendinger ended up with the short stick. He has guaranteed for the first eight races, after which the team needs sponsors. It would be a waste of talent to see him not on track.

47 – Marcos Ambrose
The likable Aussie starts his first full season in the JTG Daugherty organisation. The team is running out of Michael Waltrip’s factory and is essentially, an unofficial third team there. Needs to be consistent on the ovals before he can really romp at the road courses.

48 – Jimmie Johnson
Four-peat? That is what everyone is thinking and why not? The best team is hard to bet against. I’m looking forward to Johnson vs Edwards vs Busch this year.

55 – Michael Waltrip
Team owner Waltrip says that he will quit if he endures a bad season this year. Despite keeping the car solidly within the top-35 during last year, I feel that I don’t think he can get much higher than that. Indeed, it might be a good time to move over and let someone else take over the reins.

77 – Sam Hornish Jr.
A second season beckons for the former Indycar racer. Last year, Hornish showed flashes of potential in his race craft. Unfortunately, it wasn’t consistent enough. He will have a lock in for the first five races, ever important for a driver that could easily struggle as he would shine on any given weekend.

82 – Scott Speed
The years second rookie confirmed for a full-time seat, Speed wasn’t really impressive when he replaced Allmendinger late last year. So much so that the team had to swap Speed and Vickers on the final race to ensure the car would make the top-35. Importantly for the former F1 driver is that he has cut his teeth on a few races. With the lack of testing time this year, such experience is all the more valuable.

83 – Brian Vickers
Like Kasey Kahne, at one point it looked like he would make a strong run for the Chase. Like Kahne, he also suffered a drop in form that saw him drop from contention. A Chase berth and a win are on the cards, but it will be tough. Credit to the team for the amazing turnaround from 2007 to 2008. If they can continue in that vein, who knows what might be possible for the Red Bull outfit.

88 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt Nation expects. A fuel mileage and a non-championship win was hardly what they expected. But he did have more victories than team-mates Gordon and Mears. This year is definitely a put up or shut up year for him. He has had a year within the team. Now it is time to show that there is more to him than being the son of Dale Earnhardt.

96 – Bobby Labonte
Former champion Labone will drive the Hall of Fame/Yates car, with a lock for the first five races do the job that Kvapil and Gilliand did last year in their respective rides. A driver of his calibur should keep the team afloat in the top-35

98 – Paul Menard
In a time where sponsorship is hard to come by, Menard is a hit commodity. Not the greatest driver in the world but when the family business has their name on the hood, it is an easy choice to find him a ride. Like Labonte, he finds himself with a lock for the first five because of the work done by the ’08 Yates drivers.

99 – Carl Edwards
Edwards is my tip for the title this year. Underneath that charming smile is a man with a racers instinct. He isn’t afraid to take risks and when the chips are down, he doesn’t have any qualms about driving the stones off his car. The expected three-way battle with Johnson and Busch should make for good watching.